Expanding roll box for cotton gins



Jan. 3; 1939.

J. J. WALLACE- 2,142,977

EXPANDING ROLL BOX PPR COTTON GINS Filed .July 12, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 3, 1939. J. J. WALLACE 2,142,977

ExPANDiNG ROLL BOX FOR COTTON ems Filed July 12, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J J Wallace Jan. 3, 1939. I J. J. WALLACE 2,142,977

EZWANDING ROLL BOX FOR COTTON ems Filed July 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J J T/Vfiace W WZ 'W Jan. 3, 1939. J. J.IWALLACE EXPANDING ROLL BOX FOR-COTTON GINS Filed July 12, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 sothe parts shown Patented Jan. 3, 1939 PATENT OFFICE ROLL BOX FOR COTTON GINS Jeflr ey John Wallace,

Gullett Gin Company, of Louisiana Application 1 Claim- This invention relates generally to improvements in the roll boxes of cotton gins.

The main object of the invention is to pro- 'vide a cotton gin with a box formed of pivotally connected units adapted to be swung 'apart to facilitate the dumping of seed and debris from the box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll box with end walls rotatable freely with the cotton roll to eliminate friction as much as possible in the roll box, and permit the roll to be turned more freely by the saws.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unitary support for a roll box and huller in a cotton gin.ln which, the-*huller roller is adjustable in an .arcuate path toward and, from the ribs or the cotton gin.

Other objects will become apparent as detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings: Figure l is anend elevation of a cotton gin constructed in accordance with the present invention; v

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, with 25 the parts shown in different position;

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section through the cotton gin, with the parts in positions' shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a section similar in the positions the to Figure 3, with shown in Figure 2. y shown in the drawings, the invention orgas naled the shaft which project as the ginning ribs 8, when the machine is in operation. Air under pressure from the reservoir 9 operates through the nozzle l0, adjacent the periphery of the saw 4o'cylinder. to force the lint from the saw teeth, into a flue ll, connected with a condenser (not shown). There is nothing novel in this part of the apparatus. Therefore, no attempt is made to illustrateit in any great detail. It will so be understood, however, that the various standards of theiramework will be duplicated at op-- posite sides of the machin various shaits and cross supports.

ribs .0 are secured-at thelr'opposo site endseasi usual to. top and: bottomwooden l2. and i3, suitably secured in the chan- 'nels II and ii, respectively, which extend be-- tabiy secur d to the castinss tween and are sui p i8 and i1, forming parts of the end walls of the July 12, 1931,

- slots ii. The upper e, to support the roll to: u m 9"" Amite, Ls. assit or to Amite, Lia, a corporation Serial No. 153,241

reference numeral i8, is pivoted to the framework 5, by means of the brackets is and 20, suitably secured to the cross bar 2i by means of the pivot rod 22 passing through registering apertures in ears 28, extending from 5 the channel iron ,ll adjacent the said brackets l9 and.- 20.

The castings it and i! are provided-in their pivoted ends with circular apertures 24 and 25, respectively, to receive the plates which form the ends of the roll chamber. These plates 26 and 21 are mounted to rotate in roller bearings on spiders 28, formed integral with, or suitably secured to the castings l6 and I1. A floating roll board 28 extends between their; castings i6 and i1, and. is'pivoted at its rear edge by means of a pivot 3| formed in the castings axis of the floating roll board rearwardly with respect to a vertical plane pass- 1 ing through the axis of rotation of the plates "and 21. "The roll board 29, therefore, forms a pivoted cover 101' the roll chamber, and obviously must be supported at its free end to prevent its falling by gravity into the roll chamber.

Theroll box unit l8 may be considered as the inner half of the cotton box. The other half oi this cotton'box comprises the end castings and 38, shaped at their inner edges to flt the outer edges of the castings 1y. Tie rods 34 and 25 secure the castings 32 and 33 in properly spaced apart relation to form a huller box 38 pivoted at its upper end to swin about the same axis as the pivots ill m the erally by the 28. is pivoted at for the free edgeol the roll board A front cover 81 of the huller the opposite ends 01! its upper 01 the pivot studs I8 extending 32 and 32 to seat in the slots 39 formed .40

in the top edges of the castings I2 and". A

Arcuate slots are provided in the castings "and II to permitadjustment of the shaft about its pivot 42. To eflect this adjustment, the -.i1'pper end of each link l2 is pivoted to one end 01 slink lihthe'so lever 26 and 21, 10

I6 and i1, respective- 3o tie rod 24, forms a support so are adapted to be engaged by a spring click 4!, suitably mounted on the free end of the lever. A drive chain for transmitting rotation from shai't 4| to the shaft 5| of conveyor 52, is maintained taut by means of the idler 53 pivoted on the free end of a link 54, which is pivoted at its other end to the lever 48.

The cotton box, comprising the roll box and huller units I 8-35, may be rotated as a whole about the pivot 22, to swing the ginning ribs 8 clear of the saws, by means of the toggle linkage shown in Figures 1 and 2. This linkage comprises a bell crank fixed on a square section shaft 56, adapted to be manually rotated by a lever 51.

One arm 58 of the bell crank 55 is connected by a tension spring 58' to a flange 59 on the framework 5 to counterbalance most of the weight of the cotton box. The other arm 50 of the bell crank is pivoted to one end of a link 6| having its other end piv'oted to 9. lug 52 on the back of the channel i5. A projection 53 on the link 6 I, cooperates with the adjacent edge of arm to hold the arm 60 and link Si in positionpast dead centerto lock the'entire cotton box out of operative relation with the saw cylinder, as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The huller unit 35 may be separated from the roll box unit H, by means of a manually operable toggle linkage, comprising the L-shaped lever 64, pivoted at one end to a lug projecting from the channel i5. At its other end the lever 54 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 55 which, in turn, is pivoted to the'pivot bolt I.

The lug 51 on the 'end 01' link 58 cooperates with the adjacent edge of arm 64 to lock the huller unit releasably in the position shown in Figures 2 and 4; that is, with the huller unit separated from the roll box unit to dump debris from the roll box. To operate this toggle the pivot stud 61 is fixed to the lever 64, and a handle (not shown) may be suitably secured to the stud 51' to rotate the same and operate the linkage connected thereto.

What I claim is:

In a cotton gin, a support, a saw cylinder Journaled in said support, a cotton box connected to the upper end of said support to swing about an axis parallel to and laterally displaced with respect to the axis of said saw cylinder, said cotton box comprising two sections, one section forming a roll box carrying ginning ribs, the other section forming a huller box carrying a huller roll and huller ribs cooperating therewith, said huller box being connected to said roll box to swing about an axis spaced from and parallel to the first named axis, mechanism connected to said support and the lower end of the roll box to swing the cotton box as a whole out of operating connection with the saw cylinder, mechanism connecting the lower ends of the roll boxv and huller box to swing the two boxes apart for dumping debris fromthe roll box, said roll box including a roll board pivoted to swing about the pivot axis or the huller box, and means carried by the huller box to form a support for the free end of the roll board said roll board floating about its pivot axis above said means to form an expanded roll box and move with the huller box to release cotton and seed from the roll box when the two boxes are separated.

JEFFREY JOHN WALLACE. 

